Transmission gearing



Jan..2, 1940. R; I .BRowNLE'E TRANsMusIoN @mame Filed Feb. s, 1939 2sheets-sheet 1 Jan. 2, 1940. R. l.. BRowNLEE TRANSMISSION GEARING FiledFeb. 3, 1939 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented .Jani 2, 1.940

Vunirsi) sfrA'nsisv PATENT Fries' TRANSMISSION Granma Robert L.Brownlce, Chicago, Application February s, 1939, serial 10.254.481

's Claim.' (o1. 'za-37s) A still further object voi.' the invention istov employ a reduction drive in the novel gearing which lends itscontrol an advantageous leverage. ll. Another object of the invention isto incorporate. in the novel gearing 'a combination oi clutchesheretofore-patented by me, but with a. novel inter-relation. r I

A further object of the inventionis to' design n the-gearing inv such amanner as to utilize its control for the additional-purpose of a bearingfor the delivery drivel lAn important object of the invention is to ciev,sign the gearing asa simple, sturdy and compact unit which is readilyapplicable oradaptl able for interposition between the driving. and `vdriven elements of apower delivery.

With the above objects in view, and any others r which may suggestthemselves from the descripn tion to follow, a better understanding oithe invention may be had by reference to the accompanying drawings, inwhich- Fig. 1 is a side elevation of the vnovel gearing l as applied toa power plant in a boat; 8 Fig. a gearing,

Fig. 3 is a section on a smaller scale taken on the lineI-l of Fig. 2;and

Fig. 4 is a rear-end view oi the gearing onfthev a same lscale-'sisFig'. 3. l l

Forward-and-'i'everse gear sets have been used in simple powerdeliveries, and more frequently in boats or other marine vessels Where achange inthe direction ofthe drive is required. However.- theconventional types of forwai d-andreverse gear'sets are hard to controland impose an undue strain von the power source when a quick change inthe drive must be made. l'. have therefore devised the present gearingas a means in' to obtain a vsmooth transmission oi the drive as well asan easy change thereof in either direc-' tion. l In accordance with theforegoing, the frame for the novel gearing is composed of two sturdy 5|.members II and II. The member Il! is a chanis a magnied verticalsectionoi the.

nel' opening rearwardly upon the member Il, which is a heavy plate. Theframe members are secured by top and bottom bolts I2 directed throughthe plate II into' the upper and lower flanges of the channel III. o 5 lThe upper portion `o1 the` frame contains ballbearings I3 and I4 in theparts I0 and II'to journal a horizontal shaft I5. This shaft isforwardly extended at I8 to become coupled to or form the lrear part ofthe drive from an 10.y

engine I'I or other power source.

vSome distance below the shaft I5 the 'channel IU contains aball-bearing I'I for the forward end of another horizontal shaft i8, therear portionof this shaft being supported in a manner to be laterexplained .and extending to constitute the delivery of the drive. Thus,this shaft may l be elongated as indicated in Fig. 1 to receive apropeller I9 at its rear end for lthe'propulsion oftheboat2. 90 Areverse reduction drive between the shaft I5 and the zone of the shaitI8 is provided by mounting a'spur pinion 2i on the shaft I5 in slightlyspaced relation to the channel I0, the interve space being occupied by ashaft collar 22. The pinion 2| is fast on the shaft I5 and in mesh witha gear 23 receiving a bronze bushing 24 to become journaledgon the shaftI8. The bushing has a frontal -rlange 25 to space the gear from thechannel I0; and the shaft I8 is grooved 80 at 26 to receive a splitcollar 2I as a rear end.

' SWP for the gear hub.`

vThe shaft I8 slidably receives the hub 28 of a frontal disk 29 facingvthe gear 23 from the rear, the said hub and shaft being longitudinally85, grooved at 30 and 3I, respectively, for thelodging of a long key 32in the shalt and to form a guide for the sliding motion 'of the diskhub.

The disk 29 is formed with a forward annular enlargement! having aconically inclined forn ward face e3. The gear 23`is annularly recessedat 34 opposite the enlargement 32to seat a compressible lining 35 whoserearace is formed to match the forward face 33 of the enlargement assuggested in Fig. 2.. Ordinarily, the units just described areslightlyspaced as shown, but when the disk; 29 is advanced an engagementoccurs between the enlargement 32' and the lining 33 with a clutchingaction, whereby to transmit the motion of the shaft I5 through vthepinion 2li, 50 the gear 23 and the disk 29 to the shaft I8. Theparticular clutch is described and covered in my Patent No. 2,135,384vdated November l, 1938.

The shaft IB also carries a second disk 36 shortu bushing 31a in its hubto become journaled on the hub 28 of the disk 29.v The disk 36 has athickened outer portion 31 to a'ordroom for a peripheral groove38'having a high flaring wall 39 at the rear and a short flaring wall 40at the front. A continuation of this wall occurs, however, in the formof a rearward enlargement 4I of the disk 29, the rear face 42 of thisenlargeent having a conical formation of the same s ope as the rear wall39 of the groove 38. The

groove 38 thus provides a dared channel in the peripheral region of thedisk 36 which is suitable to receive a V-type belt' 43. This belt riseswith a gatherv to become trained around a V-type pulley d4 made fast onthe shaft I5 some distance to the rear of. the pinion 2I, the hub 45 ofthe pulley meeting the rear face of the pinion to form a stop therefor.

The arrangement Just described forms a for'- ward reduction drivebetween the shaft I5 and the shaft I8 by employing the disks 29 and 36as a. clutch of the type shown and described in I A my Patent No.2,097,559 dated November 2, 1937.

It will be apparent that by retracting the disk 29 the enlargement 4Iwill bear upon the belt 43 to wedge the same tightly between the walls42 and 39 of the groove-38. thus Joining the disk 28 to the disk 38.With the latter receiving the reduction drive through the belt 43 fromthe shaft I5 the effect will be to rotate the shaft I 8 in the i at.Y

f to

same direction as the shaftv I5, the gear 23 idling on the shaft I8becauseof its separated position from the disk 29. l

The foregoing functions between the shafts I5 and I8 were obtained bythe advance of the disk 29 to secure the reverse-driva'and bytheretraction thereof to secure the forward drive, and

a control will now be described to procure these -motions of the disk;Primarily, the control re.

sides in a hand lever 50 which is positioned vertically to the rear ofthe gearing to indicate that vthe latter is in the neutral or disengagedcondition. This condition is represented by the free' position of thedisk 29 between the gear 23 and I the disk 36 as an indication that thedrive of the shaft I5 is not transmitted to the shaft' I8, the gear 23and disk 36'simply idling, and the disk 29 being stationary. The neutralposition of the hand lever 50 is indicated by full lines in Fig. 4,anditj'is my intention that the lever be swung to one or the other ofthe dotted line. positions to procure a connection ofthe drive todeliverl ior-` ward or reverse motion to the driven shaft I8.

Accordingly, the hand lever 5I] is rigidly mounted on a traveling screw5I threaded in a rear ex-A tension Ia of the plate II. The travelingscrew EI is tm ar in order to accommodate a-ballbearing 52 between itand the hub 230i the disk 29, the forward end of the screw having an in-Iward flange 5Ia as a forward limit for its part of the lbearing and the'said hub a shoulder 28a for the same purpose in relation to the innerpart -of the bearing. The components of thebearing are looked againstrearward departure by outer and inner split rings 53 and 54 sunkenrespectively into the inner and outer peripheries oi the screw and hub.

The traveling screw 5I makes a fairly snug mesh with the extension IIa,so that it may be said to be rmly centered in such\extension.

The screw thus forms a support for the rear'portions of the disk hub 28and the shaft I8 through the ball-bearing 52, eliminating a specialbearing` in the frame for this purpose.

1y behind the disk-29 and receiving a bronze It will now be apparentthat the traveling screw.

ever, I have shown a spring or friction clip 50a i vto hold the lever incase lcoseness of the screw 5I develops from extended use. Moreover, aside movement of the lever in one or the other direction will procurethe engagement of the gearing for the corresponding drive of the shaftas previously explained, depending on the direction ofthe screw thread.Of course, a suitable indication or marking will be made ongthe plate IIto show which drive is obtained by'the corresponding shifted position ofthe hand lever.

As the gearing is not of a character to'run in oil, the. enclosureIll-II is not in the form of a `housing but made as asimple frame forpurposes of economy. However, the frame is supplemented on the sides bysheet metal enclosures 55, secured by bolts 56, in order to keep dustand foreign objects. from entering into the mechanism.

It will be evident from the above description .that I have provided atransmission gearing,y

which is particularly adaptable for use on-boats, where `the reversal`of the drive is often or must be quickly resorted to. It is apparentthat in the present gearing this is done with two leverage advantages.First, the drive is already stepped' down to reduce the speed andprovide a large enzontal retraction. Also, the shifted position of.`

, the lever 50 is firm becauseof the resistance offered bythecompressible clutch lining 34 or belt 43, asvthe case may be, thisfactor also taking up possible looseness of the vscrew from wear.

As the clutches employed contain linings of a] compressible nature,these yield as the thrustis applied to procure a smooth and gradualengagement of the clutch. Further, the units of the assembly are large,sturdy and compactly grouped, so that the cost of producing the gearingiscomparatively low and it occupies a small amount of room adjoining thepowerplant. Further, the gearing is fi forably designedto receive l thedrive from the front to transmit it'from the rear, for facility to beinterposed in a longitudinal or continuous power drive. The gearing isalsofavorable for application to a lmotor boat as indicated in Fig. 1,the position ofthe driven shaft being ,low for location in the bottom ofthe boat. Finally,` the novel gearing is an appliance which is of amechanically eiilcient nature and controlable without the need of skill.

While I have described the gearing along speciiic lines, various minorchanges and refinements may be made therein without 'departing from itsprinciple, and I desire to consider all such changes and renements ascoming within gghe scope and spirit of the appended claims. y

I claim:

i. A transmission gearing comprising a frame, I

a drive shaft journaled in one portion of the I same, a. driven shaftdisposed in another portion of the frame and in parallelism to the driveshaft, a journal for the driven shaft in one end of the frame, aforward-and-reverse reduction drive between the shafts, a slidablesupport for the driven shaft and' effective to actuate said drive, saidsupport passing through the other end of the frame and being joined forrotation with the driven shaft, a longitudinally movable control for thedrive, and a bearing between saidl control and the support. v

2. The structure of claim l, sai-i control being 'a traveling screwseating in said other end of `the frame.

3. The structure of claim 1, said other end of the frame having a tappedoutward extension, and a tubular traveling screw concentric with thedriven shaft meshed in said extension. said bearing being disposed inthe annular space between cling screw joined to the clutch to .impartsaid movements thereto, said screw being maintained in its rotarypositions of advance in either direction by the resistance of the facingof the corresponding driven member to the clutch.

5. The structure of claim 1, said control being a traveling screw insaid other end of the frame, and an actuating leverfextended from saidtravcling screw. e

lallel to the same. l

6. The structure of claim 1, said drive including a clutch operable byreciprocatory movements of said support, a traveling vscrew centeredaround the driven shaft and meshed for motion in the other end of theframe, a bearing con- .necting the traveling screw for longitudinalmovement with said support and to journal the vlatter in the travellingscrew, and means to rotate the latter in one or the other direction tosecure the corresponding movement of the clutch. '7. A transmissiongearing comprising. a drive shaft, a driven shaft invparallelism withthey same, a. gear and apulley on the driven shaft and freely rotatablein relation thereto, pinion and compressible-belt drives from the driveshaft to thev gear and pulley respectively to operate these units inopposite directions, a clutch between the gear and pulley and joined forrotation with the driven shaft, a compressible lining carried by thegear opposite the clutch, said pulley seating the belt against outwarddeparture and with the inner face thereof opposite the clutch,

' and the latter being. movable into engagement4 with either the gearlining or the portion of the belt carried by the pulley to transmitrotation gradually from the drive shaft to the driven shaft in thecorresponding direction.

8. The structure of claim 7, said lining havingv an annular course, thecontiguous faces of said llining and belt portion receding inclinedlyfrom each other toward the center, and the clutch having the portionsengageable with said faces par! L.; snowman.`

